One of the dealers in the area got in three today. 2 EX and 1 EX-L. They were just unloaded before I got there, this afternoon, and the dealer was prepping them up in the service dept.. I was able to take a test sit today and I hope to take a test drive tomorrow.

Some impressions: Fit and finish appear to be excellent. All gaps between body panels are the same and everything lines up, which I appreciate. Lots of little details. There's a small lip that runs along the bottom of the rear bumper that conceals two small reflector strips on either side. The door makes a solid "klump" sound as it closes. Nicely done rear lights.

The driver's seats are altogether different than the 2012 seats: more padding, supportive feel, and the hard lumbar lump is gone. When you do use the adjustable lumbar support in the 2013, it is soft and pliable. Basically, the seats are fixed.

The interior is upscale, almost glitzy. Although I can see it in the online photos, but in person, its more noticeable to me that the interior has some metallic detailing going on in the center console area. That's the glitzy part. The feeling inside is wide open and airy. The exterior has a classic, classy look.

The truck had a white LX that was going to another dealer. The LX had alloy wheels which look really sweet. They are different than the EX/EX-L wheels, but look great.

I hope to drive one tomorrow to see how the new engine tech, CVT and suspension come together to turn my commute into something I will look forward to.

I drove the new accord, and It drives great. It's definitely a smooth transmission with responsive throttle. Like many of you, I was worried Honda would lose road feel by switching from the double wishbone suspension, but that is not the case. There was plenty of road feedback and crisp handling. The steering is a little soft, but sharper than the Altima or Camry. All of the materials and finish seemed high quality and well done, although I did not have time to study everything as much as I would have liked. The leather had a more European or Acura feel to it. It was impressive. I am going to drive it again in a couple of weeks and take my time. They had Silver, white, and Modern Steel Metallic. The Modern Steel Metallic is charcoal, but it has a little blue to lighten it slightly. Living in the south, I need a light color with light interior to cope with the heat so it will be Alabaster Silver Metallic, White Orchard Pearl, or Champagne Frost Pearl for me.

Thanks for this review. Sounds very promising. I agree that from the pix the EXL models look like something from Acura or an upscale European make. Glad to hear that your in-person impressions confirm that.

PS Honda releases quite thorough information about all aspects of their new models, including separate essays and info about engines, body, chassis, interiors, etc. You can find them at the Honda corporate website:

"....The basic designs of midsize sedans are so similar that it&#146;s tempting to lump them together and assume that each is as good as the others &#151; just go with the one that has the most features you like. And almost all of the cars in this market segment are very good. But this new Accord is excellent."

For magazines, I wish Honda would go back to text ads like they had in the 1980s and 1990s. Back then they'd actually have a fair amount of text, and tell you briefly, but with a bit of detail, what was so great about their cars. These days they usually just have just a tiny bit of text that tells you almost nothing next to a huge picture of the car. But there are so many new things about this car&#151;from the dash, to the engine and transmission, to the cameras, etc., that I think they should really sell it like this TV ad does in a way that respects our intelligence as consumers.

I know we've just seen these new 2013 Accords trickle into showrooms, but be patient. There will be a plentiful supply shortly according to this article from Bloomberg. 6,000 cars are being manufactured per week.

In my area, only 1 dealer has received a shipment of 6 Accords. The others are patiently waiting. I test drove the new accord along with every other midsize car on the market, and I think Honda is going to hit a home run with this car. I am going to wait 6 weeks for inventories to build and then pull the trigger. I am anxious to see what kind of deals people are getting. It's sometimes difficult to figure out the numbers on Edmunds because most buyers don't mention whether or not they traded a vehicle or if they received retail/wholesale for the trade.

markitdown: Yeah, I'm with you on waiting a little while until inventories go up and prices ease a little.

That's great that they are already up to making 6000 Accords a week. Probably in another month or two they'll be at 7000 a week. If they can make cars 50 weeks a year, that translates to Honda's annual sales goal for the new Accord of 350,000. And I think at full tilt that huge Ohio factory could actually make 8000 a week (or 400k a year) if the demand is there.

For calendar year 2013 there is going to be a real battle royale for midsize car customers, and all major players are building up their capacity.

I think Toyota can make 450k Camrys in KYHonda can probably make 400k AccordsNissan has said by 2013 they can make 400k+ AltimasFord with a plant in Mexico and one in Michigan can probably make 400k FusionsHyundai is going to around the clock production in Alabama, and might be able to make 300k Sonatas.

Even though the midsize segment is huge, and growing faster than the rest of the market, I doubt there are enough customers for all of these cars.

And so my guess is that even by December of this year, and certainly by sometime in early 2013, prices will likely ease a bit even for Honda Accords.

But Honda has clearly made their best Accord ever, and has also tried to top pretty much every player in the market with this car. It will command a small premium over most other cars in the segment, and deservedly so imho...

for the naysayers out there the 2013 accord is the best put out on the market in quite sometime. The Nissan Altima is junk and so is the Sonata. The Sonata does not even have a four-cylinder and will fall apart at about 80,000 miles. I drove and took home a 2012 Camry Se four-cylinder and I have to tell you the fit and finish was horrible the interior was cheap wth rubber or some kind of plastic on the doors and on the outside near the fog lights was a very cheap black plastic that will fade in about one year.just not the fit and finish of the Honda. The Camry drove okay but was nothing special. Can't wait to drive the 2013 accord and hopefully trade in my current car.

I won't get in to disputing your opinions, as they are just that. However, I will correct a factual error. The Sonata does indeed have a four and also a turbo 4. Maybe you meant to say it doesn't have a six which is true.

I have looked at the new Accords and it looks like Honda has done an excellent job with it. But the Sonata, Camry, and Altima are also very nice cars. They just each have different strengths. (These are my opinions, but various reviews do back them up, in general.)

Initial impressions: Good job, Honda!The car: EX-L V6.I found the ride smooth on most surfaces, though highway concrete slab seams and similar short, sharp bumps are both heard and felt. Doubt it would be an issue for most. It is certainly quieter than the last few Honda sedans I have driven - even with the moonroof in the vent position, as I typically drive, all year round. I found it to feel agile and responsive. The electric steering felt fine, to me.The V6 is smooth and certainly has enough grunt &#150; and combined with the 34 MPG highway EPA rating, is an impressive engine- again [ still ]. The new 6-speed transmission generally works well,I found the seats and driving position quite comfortable &#150; and had no issue with the headrest. NVH was well under control. [ I had the stereo turned off the whole drive. ] The big horizontal bar graph of instant MPG in the center of the speedometer I find useless.One oddity noticed &#150; several times, on a winding back road, the LDW yellow light in the dash [ accompanied by a warning chime ] displayed. Although I and the salesperson both saw this as LOW [ suspecting a PDI oversight = low tire pressure . ]I certainly hope this is something that can be permanently turned off??For me, it was annoying, distracting & NOT helpful!The other issue, for me is how Honda groups equipment and color offerings for the 2013. I would really prefer the EX-L equipment level [ minimum to have the V6 and 6-speed automatic], but without the LDW, the Blindspot camera and the Backup camera &#150; for example. Also, the Sedan is simply not available with the V6 and the paddle shifters. I have come to use the paddle shifter on my current coupe a lot &#150; I enjoy the extra measure of control they offer. It would be very difficult for me to give up that aspect. The paddles shifters are only available on the 4 cylinder CVT Sport Sedan. Not even available on the &#145;range topping&#146; V6 Touring Sedan. According to online information, the Coupe V6 does offer the paddle shifters &#150; but most every exterior color offered on the Coupe comes only with a black interior. Not something I prefer, very impractical here near Hotlanta.My ideal Honda seems unlikely to be assembled anytime soon.[ EX-L V6 Automatic Sedan , paddle shifters, blue or red exterior, gray interior. ][ sigh ]- Ray I do like the car, quite a lot, but . .

I have been the original owner of many Honda vehicles, and I currently have four of them in the garage including a 2005 V6 EXL Sedan.

My Accord has 125,000+ one owner miles. I have been starting to get the itch to replace it, so I was waiting to see what the new generation Accord would be like before I did anything.

I am a very hands on driver. For me, the reports of shoddy electric steering and the lack of direct control over the 6-speed auto, are non starters. There is no circumstance I buy this car unless those two things are remedied.

Beyond that, the styling of the stock 17" rims is horrid - too many spokes. Perhaps they are fuel efficient, but so are moon caps and no one uses those anymore. You don't get into a decent looking factory wheel option unless you go 18", which for me is not worth the added expense near term or long term.

Sorry Honda - I may be one of your biggest fans and I have been enamored with your work for decades, but this sedan is a no-go. You got rid of the bug-eyed headlights that kept me from buying previous generations, and finally gave it the 6-speed auto we always wanted, but you effectively preclude us from interacting with the transmission in any way beyond selecting forward or backwards?

The reports that I've read say that the electric power steering is pretty good on this Accord. And where are you going to find hydraulic steering today anyway on a midsize car? That is simply not available as far as I know. All manufacturers have phased it out for mpg reasons.

Why not test drive the Sport model with the 18" wheels and paddle shifters? You've read reports, but that's not the same as driving the car yourself. Yes, it's a CVT, but it's supposed to be a near revolutionary CVT that shifts a little like a regular auto. Or maybe you should try the best-in-class 6 speed manual?

I don't think you can really say whether you liked it or not or whether it failed or not until you drive it yourself. But if you do, hope you'll come back and give us your report with all of the good points and not-so-good points about the car.

"....The manual transmission. Say what you will about Honda&#146;s fall from enthusiast-driver grace, but one signal Honda&#146;s serious again is the availability of 6-speed manual transmissions for both the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder (185 hp/181 pound-feet and 189 horses for the Accord Sport trim) and the snarly single-cam 3.5-liter V6 (278 hp) in the Accord Coupe when it launches Oct. 19.

That&#146;s an honest-to-goodness 3-pedal manual; don&#146;t go looking for one of those in the Nissan Altima or Hyundai Sonata and we figure given the general direction of the family-sedan market, it would&#146;ve been all too easy for Honda to go all-automatic, too. The 6-speed manual is standard for all 4-cylinder versions of the 2013 Accord sedan and coupe. And we&#146;ll throw this in for what it&#146;s worth: Honda&#146;s all-new automatic for all 4-cylinder Accords is a continuously variable job. But before you cringe, Honda&#146;s CVT is, as of this moment, the best of the breed. It quasi-mimics shift points and imparts a decidedly more agreeable perception of engine speed and acceleration building in tandem.

2. The chassis. Don&#146;t blubber about losing its double-wishbone front suspension (even though ditching same for the Civic indeed was a mistake): the new Accord handles a little. Rides great, too.

Credit a couple of new components. First, a special non-contact torque sensor for the electric power steering may sound arcane, but it does seem to have added a better degree of response &#150; we&#146;re not saying feel &#150; to the Accord&#146;s power steering. Even the current-best EPS out there can struggle to replicate the kind of response to steering input that decades of hydraulic power steering conditioned us all to expect.

Second, the 2013 Accord&#146;s got serious front dampers. With an eye toward minimizing body roll and, the front dampers have an internal rebound spring and optimized fluid and valving. Besides impressive body control for the new Accord, what&#146;s the takeaway from this shock talk? Expensive &#150; Honda made a costly choice to help improve the Accord&#146;s handling and ride. Although nobody&#146;s saying it straight out, this basically is the shock Honda uses for many Acura applications...."

You make claims here that you can not possibly back up. What do you base your remarks on? You spout things that can not be proven. The only truth here is that you don't like the cars you've mentioned. You bought the Camry so obviously you liked it. If the Altima is such...junk as you call it, why are they selling so well? 80,000 miles and a Sonata will fall apart? Dude...are you kidding here?

It's obvious that Honda needed to do something really big here as the current model is so plain. I wish Honda well with the new Accord...I like Honda products and own one.

Drove a 2013 EX yesterday. The CVT was not noticeable in the least. The car responds when you step on the gas, just like a normal transmission. The steering was light in the parking lot and firm on the road. Very comfortable seat especially with the power adjustments. Thinking of buying one soon. Dealer will give us 20200 for 2010 Odyssey. Looking to downsize and get better gas mileage.Kudos to Honda for stepping up their game and building a car that's ahead of the rest!

I sat in a EX-L this weekend and noticed the LDW Lane Departure Warning can be turned off from a button on the left side of the dash below the ECO button. There appears to be another button, possible traction or stability control right next to it.

The interior was very nice but I'm not sure how well the leather door armrests would hold up to long term wear. I like the seats in the Sport model as they looked durable and didn't have the fuzzy look of the LX and EX. The texture reminded me of a GTI.

I am aware of that button. Thanks.For me, the key is, as I stated 'I certainly hope this is something that can be permanently turned off??'I can't imagine having to turn this off every time I started the car.It was really quite annoying ...- RayWaiting for the Coupes to arrive at the Dealer.......

If they put paddle shifters on the V6 Sedan, I'd probably be a buyer. If the 4 cylinder had 270HP you'd have point. The 6 speed manual is not available on the V6 Sedan or I'd be a buyer. Instead, they gave the V6 Sedan the lamest transmission interaction ever. They are completely out of their minds. I'm sure it is about as fun as driving a golf cart.

I4 very nice ride ,exl v6 fantastic ride plenty of power ,wanna have fun in family car,well go no farther this honda is for you.Put the v6 in sport mode and your off ,,love this carwaited long enough for it.honda did a great job. dont forget this car was made the masses not just for you .dont like the tires ,do an upgrade .whatever.I own an 03 accord great car treated me good .put my order in two days ago for the exl v6 with navi got a fantastic deal. your gonna love it to.